Guidance

DWP and DfE Data Sharing Agreement with the National Careers Service and Jobcentre Plus

Published 20 January 2025

Details

Data sharing between Jobcentre Plus and the National Careers Service will be used to encourage closer co-operation in the collective delivery of jobs and careers guidance for adults. A shared knowledge base on which to support Jobcentre Plus and National Careers Service customers will support an understanding of customer need and improve the collective support offered to customers on their employment and careers journeys. This will improve the service that customers receive from Jobcentre Plus and the National Careers Service.

This guidance is for: 

• Jobcentre Plus and Jobcentre Plus work coaches.
• National Careers Service prime contractors and careers advisers.

Expiry or review date 

This guidance will be reviewed on an annual basis. 

Data to be shared 

Interactions between Jobcentre Plus work coaches/National Careers Service careers advisers and customers result in the collection of a wide range of data. This will depend upon the personal circumstances of a customer.  

Data items that could be shared between National Careers Service careers advisers and Jobcentre Plus work coaches, in either direction and at any point in the customer journey are relevant to employment, skills and training.

Data items could include:

• name
• date of birth
• email address
• telephone number
• Universal Credit identifier
• gender
• ESOL status
• confirmation of appointment times
• confirmation of attendance at appointment
• reason for referral to National Careers Service
• benefit status/type
• referrals to learning/training/employment support e.g., courses
• length of unemployment
• job search restrictions
• qualifications achieved
• level of qualifications achieved
• employment status
• previous employment (roles)
• previous employment (sectors)
• barriers/challenges
• work/learning/skills aspirations
• skills knowledge gaps
• skills assessment
• Labour Market Information
• careers goals
• work goals
• learning goals
• outcomes
• National Careers Service priority group status: 18 to 24-year-olds not in education
• employment, or training (NEETs)
• low-skilled adults without a Level 3 qualification
• adults who have been unemployed or economically inactive for more than 12 months
• single parents with at least one dependent child living in the same household
• adults with special educational needs and/or disabilities (by self-declaration)
• adults aged 50 years and over who are unemployed or at demonstrable risk of unemployment.

For National Careers Service careers advisers, it is recommended that the Careers and Skills Action plan is the document used to share data with Jobcentre Plus work coaches.

Jobcentre Plus and National Careers Service prime contractors should work together at a local level to decide the most useful data variables from the list above that should be shared between Jobcentre Plus work coaches and National Careers Service careers advisers in supporting customers on their employment and careers journeys.

Data security 

The sharing of data between Jobcentre Plus and the National Careers Service should uphold principles of data security and should adhere to the UK Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR at all times. 

National Careers Service prime contractors should ensure compliance with their contractual obligations at all times. 

Guidance for Jobcentre Plus work coaches when sharing data with National Careers Service careers advisers

Data sharing between Jobcentre Plus (Jobcentre Plus) and the National Careers Service (NCS) plays a vital part in helping build a stronger more consistent and smoother customer journey.

The Data Sharing Agreement between DWP and NCS provides confirmation that we can share essential claimant information for the benefit of all parties while ensuring appropriate data sharing principles are followed.

Data items that could be shared between National Careers Service careers advisers and Jobcentre Plus work coaches, in either direction and at any point in the customer journey are relevant to employment, skills and training.

Jobcentre Plus are advised to build relationships and use the expertise of careers advisers to support customers who require career guidance.

Improving information sharing joins up the support a customer receives from both a work coach and careers adviser. It can remove unnecessary repetition, align advice, and ensure holistic support for the customer to help improve outcomes. Jobcentre Plus should aim to provide the following minimum information when making referrals to NCS careers advice, skills analysis, and CV support that requires specific careers guidance:

• name:
• email address
• reason for referral
• previous employment (Roles/Sectors)
• barriers/challenges
• current qualifications

Referral arrangements will be agreed locally between Jobcentre Plus and the NCS provider. Ways of making referrals can be done a number of ways, explained below.

Booking/referral system 

National Careers Service prime contractors may use booking/referral systems. These systems can be used to transfer data between Jobcentre Plus work coaches and National Careers Service careers advisers. The specifics of how data will be shared will depend upon the nature of the system. 

Email 

Data can be shared with National Careers Service careers advisers by email. DWP email addresses must only be used for DWP business related activities and linked organisational activity. Users must not use their home or personal email address to conduct any DWP official business.

Jobcentre Plus work coaches should only send the minimum amount of data needed to make the communication effective.

Jobcentre Plus work coaches are responsible for ensuring the safe transmission of DWP data ensuring all relevant standards are adhered to at all times.

When sending personal data by email, Jobcentre Plus work coaches must first ensure that the recipient is entitled to receive that data and has a legitimate business need. The National Careers Service is entitled to receive the personal data relating to Jobcentre Plus customers.

Jobcentre Plus work coaches are permitted to send data to a National Careers Service careers adviser over unencrypted email. This is for a maximum of 10 customers in one email. For more than 10 customers, multiple emails would have to be sent.

By telephone

Jobcentre Plus work coaches can share customer data with National Careers Service careers advisers over the telephone.

Telephone contact with a National Careers Service careers adviser must be made via a recognised National Careers Service telephone number.

Data should only be shared over the telephone with a verified National Careers Service adviser or point of contact.

Telephone calls where data is shared must take place in a private place so they cannot be heard by other individuals in the vicinity. For example a private room.

By hand 

Jobcentre Plus work coaches can also share physical copies of documents with National Careers Service careers advisers by hand. 

Physical documents should be handed to a National Careers Service careers adviser who is working with a respective customer, or a nominated point of contact within the National Careers Service. This is the responsibility of the Jobcentre Plus work coach sharing the physical copy.

The recipient of the document is responsible for its secure storage. If the document is given to a nominated point of contact within the National Careers Service, it is their responsibility to ensure that it is given to a careers adviser who is working with the customer and stored securely in the meantime (for example, a locked cabinet). 

Jobcentre Plus work coaches should explain to their National Careers Service counterpart what the document is, identify the customer to which it relates, and explain the need to ensure the document is stored securely at all times. 

By post or courier 

Any data sharing via physical documents by post or courier should be sent by Royal Mail Special Delivery or Recorded Delivery only.  Royal Mail First or Second class must not be used.

Only physical copies of documents can be shared. Data cannot be shared on USB sticks. 

For non-Royal Mail services, a secure courier service should be used, with a signature obtained upon delivery. 

The recipient shall be clearly stated on the parcel. The documents should be securely packaged. 

The recipient (a National Careers Service careers adviser or known point of contact) should be told in advance that the document is being sent.